Material Purchase Policy
- Items sold at the Construct are not for profit, but are provided as a service for Construct Users, for use in their academic projects. Item’s prices are based on the values we pay for them, plus the cost of ordering and stocking them.
- Items may only be purchased in person, using cash or Tigerbucks. We cannot currently accept checks or debit/credit cards.
- The stock numbers in our Online Catalog should represent the accurate values in the space, but they are not Guaranteed. New item arrivals may take some time to update.
- The Construct will replace/swap items it deems were defective when sold. However, items damaged by the user will not be replaced. We cannot currently refund purchases, so those are final.
- All purchased must be made by a Construct Lab Manager.
Free Parts And Materials Policy
- Some parts are free, with the catch that we may ask to share your project on social media (unless you have a good enough reason to opt out).
- Do not abuse the free parts! We all have to share, so if you need 500 1k resistors, be respectful of other users and just order a bunch.
- We sometimes accept donations of items that may be useful to our users, but they need to be approved by the Lab Director first.
- Raw materials with the “free for use” sticker can be used for whatever you’re working on, but try not to use more than you need.
- Do not claim raw material for your own use from the free stock. You can use it for that day, but you need to put it back when you’re finished.
Material and Project Storage Policy (active from January 2017 onwards)
We have a limited amount of space for the storage of members’ projects and raw materials. Due to our growing range of equipment, and growing userbase, this storage must be prioritized for projects that are actively being worked on. So yes, we understand it’s a hassle to store a big sheet of plywood, but using it for a week and then leaving it in The Construct for months is now a thing of the past.
You can keep any project or material in The Construct, if there is room. All items must be requested to be stored from the active lab manager, and you must attach a Construct Inventory Tag (provided) with contact info and a start date. Parts that are too small/numerous to be labeled need to be stored in a Box , with the label in an easy to read location.
Projects can be stored in Under-Table storage areas throughout The Construct. Raw materials can be stored on the material rack, the blue metals shelf, or in stacks of materials in the woodshop.
When you store an item at The Construct, you may keep it here for Two Weeks (the start and end dates are stamped on the tag). At that point, you will need to either remove your stuff, or request a Renewal . Renewals are given based for active projects, or special cases as determined by the lab manager. If approved, your materials will be stamped with a new end date, and you will have Two more weeks of storage. at that point, the process repeats.
If a renewal hasn’t been placed at the end of the two-week period, a reminder email/phone call will be sent. You will then have 1 Week from the date of the reminder to remove your items, or request a renewal. If that doesn’t happen, the items will be considered abandoned. That means they are free to use by other Construct users, or may be thrown out depending on our space needs.
Items that Cannot be stored with your projects in The Construct include:
- Flammable or otherwise dangerous liquids/materials
- High-pressure containers, unless they are shown to be depressurized
- fireArms and other weapons (weapons for sport, ie. fencing/archery/nerf guns may be allowed on a case-by-case basis)
Other policy:
- batteries, especially li-ion/lipo gelpack batteries, must be disconnected from any circuitry, and must be electrically insulated at their terminals (put some tape over the wires)
Please Contact Us if you need any clarification, or would like to request a modification to the policy. We have to balance user-friendliness with the limited storage space we have to work with, but we want to make it as utilitarian as we can. So please, let us know!